The Best Candidate
by Typhlosion
Summary: Five trainers are candidates for becoming a Team Rocket executive.


I hope this fic doesn't drag on.

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day in Viridian City, if you used Giovanni's definition of a "beautiful day". Those kinds of days were sunny in the beginning, with lots of chirping Pidgeys, sunbathing Sudowoodos, and picnicking humans. Then, contrary to what every weather forecaster had predicted, it would suddenly rain. The Pidgey would shut up, the Sudowoodo would run for cover, and the picnickers would curse the forecasters. He sat back and idly wondered how his Executives were faring in this "beautiful" weather.

Common sense would dictate that a person should use an umbrella on a day such as this. Unless the common sense didn't realize that those dark clouds that appeared suddenly on the horizon were storm clouds. "Suddenly" being about ten minutes ago.

_Damn clouds. Damn weatherman. Damn this _rainwent the train of thought through a certain trainer's head. The trainer was currently walking through the woods on his way to Olivine City. His partner had some business to attend to over there, which is why they were walking in the rain through the gently dripping woods. They were walking through the woods, because she had insisted that the woods were a short-cut. He in turn insisted that _if_ this was a short-cut, then wouldn't it be marked on the map? To which she replied, "Shut up and just follow the stupid path." After a lot of under-the-breath grumbling, he finally complied and reluctantly marched onto the muddy path, where he promptly sank ankle-deep into a puddle.

He glanced over to his traveling-partner to see how she was handling the puddles and whatnot, only to be stunned. _She's _enjoying _this!? _was his shocked thought.His partner wasn't skipping around or grinning like a maniac, but there was certainly a (small) bounce in her step and a (very) slight upturn in the corner of her mouth. A normal person might not have noticed her elatedness, but our currently soggy, unhappy trainer had undergone some special training. And with the experience of his training, he became suspicious. Was he kidding himself, or was she being a little _too_ happy? _After all, if pokémon can change the weather, why not humans? _Feeling silly about his brief spell of paranoia, he hesitantly asked, "D-do you know where this rain came from?" and was surprised with her answer.

Yes, she knew where the rain came from, was her answer. Didn't he know? There had been a last-minute announcement some minutes ago about Lugia accepting the request for rain on the western hemisphere. "Remember? There's a drought going on?" she said with a grin. Her partner could be funny at times. For instance, right now he looked like a damp Murkrow with a frown on its beak.

_Announcement? _he thought. He certainly didn't remember hearing anything about it and told her so. She rolled her eyes before replying, "The announcement was a text message to the pokégear, genius. It's not _my_ fault you don't notice incoming messages," she added, with a teasingly superior glance.

"…oh," was his clever reply. Well, that certainly explained the sudden rainfall, but it didn't explain the spring in her step. After thinking for a bit, he finally asked her, "Why are you so happy?" (He couldn't just ask her, "Why do you like the rain?" because _that_ would be alerting her to the fact that he had read her actions. And alerting her was a no-no.)

Her answer was, "I like the sound of the rain." After seeing his puzzled expression, she elaborated. "It's a relaxation thing. If you try to listen to all of the raindrops hitting the ground, trees, leaves, and stuff, you feel…," she paused to look at the ground as she searched for the word that would properly describe the feeling. "You feel," she continued, "you feel… um. Well, it soothes your soul. That's the only way I can explain it." She looked up to see if her explanation had answered his question. He had stopped a couple of paces ahead of her and now stood looking at the trees as he swilled the new idea around in his head. After a muttered, "Mm," he started walking again. _Odd reason to like the rain._

As he walked, he mentally went over the contents of her profile.

Kaisi Nobutoshi.

Female, age 16.

Hometown: Ecruteak City.

Badges Gained: 6

Badges Needed: Cianwood and Blackthorn

Pokémon: Feraligatr (48), Arcanine (49), Electabuzz (48), Pidgeot (54), Oddish (42), Haunter, Scyther, Umbreon, Gyarados, and Sandslash. List is subject to change.

Party pokemon.

Battling: Stocks up on essential items before battles. Goes for quick victories unless bored.

Dislikes Normal types.

_I'll have to add "Likes the rain" to the profile._ It was odd that intelligence had gathered satisfactory trainer information, (lists of pokemon, their levels, and so on), but didn't feel the urge to gather personal information. _Of course, Father would just tell me to fill in the gaps myself. And besides, three months is definitely enough time to fill in all of the gaps._ _By then, the- _he was interrupted by Kaisi saying, "Hey, Alan?"

"Yeah?" he answered as they trudged through the woods. Annoyance had flashed through him at the interruption of his thoughts, but he let it pass. After all, he was the one that knew about _her_, while she didn't know anything about _him_. He decided that he could entertain a few questions.

"What badges are you going for?" she asked. If he needed more than three badges to get the required eight, then they might not make in time to the next Indigo opening. And that was only three months away. If they didn't make it in time, then a whole year would have to pass before the Indigo battlefields opened again.

The Elite Four of Indigo Plateau only accepted challenges once a year, during a four month period. During those four months, trainers would battle the members of the Elite Four in one-on-one matches. If they lost even once, then they would have to go to the back of the line and start over. However, if a trainer battled and won all of the matches, then he or she would be given a ticket for the S.S. Aqua and a permit. The permit would allow the trainer to compete in the Kanto league, and the S.S. ticket would get them there. Kanto trainers also went through the same thing if they wished to compete in Johto.

Of course, there was another way to obtain the S.S. Aqua ticket and the Kanto/Johto permit. You just had to sign your way through a mountain of paperwork and wait a number of months, (the current record for the longest waiting period is a year and two months), while the Johto-Kanto Travel Committee and the Kanto (or Johto) League chairmen and chairwomen argued about who would be paying for the "lunch" bit of the lunch meetings while they drew straws to determine which trainer should be given a permit and ticket. Of course, out of all of the applications filed, (about 300), only 40 or so trainers would receive the goods. After all, the chairmen and chairwomen reasoned, they couldn't allow _everyone_ to compete in both leagues. Because then, they would be flooded with foreign trainers and who knows what kind of alien species of pokémon and diseases they might bring? All of the rules and regulations are not for naught, they said to each other and the applicants.

…

This is why anybody who had half a brain chose to battle the Elite Four. The trainers were happy because they got what they wanted and the officials were happy because the number of trainers was limited through the battling.

Hallelujah. Problem solved.

Moving on with the story.

"What badges are you going for?" asked Kaisi as they trudged along the forest path. The rain had begun to lessen and only the occasional drop of water plopped on their heads as it fell from the trees.

"Oh…badges? I'm not traveling for badges. I already have mine," he replied as he reached into his backpack. "See?" Alan said as he opened his badgecase. It was amusing to see her surprised face, he thought. Had she really thought that he was a Johto trainer? _After all, I didn't know about the Goldenrod Department Store. And almost every trainer from here has heard of it. I guess it just hasn't clicked yet._

"So you're from Viridian City?" she asked. When it was his turn to look surprised she said, "The first badge in there is Viridian's Earth Badge, right?" He nodded. "Trainers usually challenge their hometown gym first. That's how I was able to guess Viridian." _Viridian City's gym is supposed to be one of the toughest out there. If that was his first challenge, then he's probably one good trainer._

If only she knew.

Kaisi's intuitiveness had made Alan lose his mental footing, but he soon regained it with a light laugh. "Yes, I'm from Viridian. It's a great place. Though maybe not as historic as your Ecruteak," he said with a sidelong glance. She happily answered with a "Yup" as they continued to walk along the damp forest path. It was nearing five o'clock in the evening and if they didn't find some form of shelter soon, then tonight would have to be spent inside their tents. As Alan didn't like the prospect of having to spend the night in a drippy forest, he asked Kaisi if they were any closer to Olivine City.

"We should be close to the end of the forest soon. Once we get clear of it, then it's just a five minute walk into Olivine and the Pokémon Center," she said.

"Oh, that's good," was his relieved answer. "And, what exactly is this 'business' that you have in Olivine?" he asked as they neared the end of the forest. The trees had started to thin and there was less cover from the rain. Kaisi apparently knew what she was talking about, because they had appeared right on the eastern outskirts of the seaside city. The famous lighthouse was off to their left, and further inside the city, the Pokémon Center waited with the promise of a hot meal and warm beds. _And a roof against this infernal rain._

However, it was not to be. It just so happened that her "business" had something to do with her aunt and they _wouldn't be staying at the Center._ That was the only thing that was registering with his brain. The thought that was currently racing around in Alan's head went something along the lines of _Nooooo!_ While _Nooooo!_ was busy running around, he completely missed what she said next. "We'll be staying at my aunt's house for the night," she continued, "She's the gym leader here, so her house is really big. I'm sure she won't mind an extra guest." (See what you miss when you don't pay attention?)

It turned out that the aunt's house was right next to the gym. To save time, according to her. By living right next door to her workplace, she didn't have to worry about commuting, traffic-jams, or indeed anything in general. For instance, when Kaisi showed up with an extra person, she didn't mind at all. "Yes, of course he can stay here," was what Aunt Rose said as she gave them towels to rub themselves off with. After handing them the towels and directions to "just dump your stuff right there", Aunt Rose disappeared into the kitchen with the promise of cooking up a little something.

_Wow, she has a nice house_, was Alan's first thought as he dried his feet (they were still wet from the puddle). They were standing in a well-lit front hallway which crossed another, perpendicular hallway, before leading into the kitchen. The front hallway had wood flooring and two doors on either side, one of which was a bathroom, and the other was a closet full of the things you need when walking in the rain.

He walked on to the second hallway and looked off to the left. What looked like the living room was down there, with bay windows that looked out towards the famous Battle Tower. There were also a couple doors on either side of the carpeted hallway. Off to his right, there were three more doors (_So many doors_ was his thought) along the hallway, which then turned to the left. Various pictures hung in frames next to potted plants that were also up on the wall. In front of him was the kitchen, which was where he was heading. When Kaisi caught up to him she said, "If you want to wash-up, the bathroom is behind the right-hand door in the front." She pointed back to the wood-floored hallway.

"Oh, thanks," he said and went to wash his hands. After making sure that he had gone through the bathroom door and not the closet door, Kaisi went to join her aunt in the kitchen. Aunt Rose was currently chopping up some garlic and told Kaisi to mind the stove as she walked to the table to take a seat.

"Is spaghetti okay with you guys?" she asked as she tipped the contents of a pot into a colander. "It's the only thing I can make in short notice, other than leftovers. And I don't think that's what you want after walking in the rain." After putting the spaghetti back into the emptied pot to cool, she opened some cans of soup. "Why don't you let out Feraligatr and Oddish?" she said as she turned up the stove.

"Okay. The pool isn't covered, is it?" asked Kaisi as she got up. Whenever she came to visit her aunt, Kaisi's Feraligatr always made for the pool first. As for her Oddish, it liked the sea breezes that drifted through the indoor garden where it would bury itself. (Despite being a grass-type, it did not feel comfortable outdoors.) She let out her Oddish first, (Feraligatr would barely fit inside the small kitchen), much to the delight of her aunt.

"_Oooh!"_ squealed Auntie Rose as she picked up her niece's Oddish, "Am I happy to see you!" She cuddled it like her favorite teddy bear and looked up in time to see Alan standing in the doorway of the kitchen with an odd look on his face. _Did I just hear a thirty-something year old woman _squeal There was a brief pause before he made his way as casually as he could to the closest chair and sat on it as if he saw squealing, middle-aged women everyday.

After a moment or two, the other three beings A/N: Can't say "people", because Oddish isn't human broke into laughter while Alan sat at the kitchen table with a determinedly straight face. After the laughter had calmed down into sporadic giggles, Kaisi headed toward the living room saying that she was going to let her Feraligatr out into the pool. Her aunt looked up and said, "Don't worry, the pool's not covered," before going back to the business of cuddling Oddish. Looking at the giggling aunt and Oddish combo, Alan decided that he would follow her out.

Outside, it had started to rain again and over the ocean, some flashes of lightning were followed by rumbles of thunder. Aunt Rose looked out the kitchen window without worry. The storm was supposed to clear up tomorrow.

Alan walked into the living room in time to see Kaisi open a door that led out into the pool area. Hearing him enter, she turned around and said, "If you have any water-types, you can let them out into the pool. If you want to," she added.

He thought about it before replying, "Sure." Kaisi got out another pair of boots with an extra umbrella and warned him about the slippery edge of the pool. Then she headed out into the rain, walked to the pool and with a light toss, threw a pokéball into the air. A flash of light appeared through the haze of the raindrops and her Feraligatr splashed into the pool.

He swam around in the pool and reveled in his momentary freedom from the confinements of the ball. While it was busy swimming, Alan came up next to her and commented, "Nice pokémon. It looks healthy."

"Thanks," she smiled. Realizing that Alan was still standing there, she asked, "Aren't you going to release yours?" With an "Oh, I almost forgot", he let out his water pokémon. It was sleek and blue, with a frilly collar and a dolphin-like tail. It shook its body from frill to tail, took one look at the water and gracefully jumped in before blending in with its new habitat. Feraligatr was apparently surprised by this newcomer, because he surfaced at Kaisi's feet.

"**Who the hell is that?" **he asked. He knew that his trainer had gotten another traveling partner, but he _certainly_ didn't remember hearing anything about another water-type. _ **Having Gyarados isn't enough?**_ he thought to himself.

"**Hello,"** said a voice, **"Forgive me, but we haven't met before because Alan has just recently started to travel with your trainer."** The Vaporeon spoke with a well-mannered tone which only served to further aggravate the already irate Feraligatr.

"Yup. Vaporeon is Alan's," replied Kaisi. "I know it's a small pool, but I can let you in after dinner if you want," she said, "Provided we have Auntie Rose's permission."

"**Sleeping indoors would mean sleeping in the garden, right?" **asked Feraligatr. His trainer's aunt never let him sleep anywhere else, unless her niece specifically asked for him to be able to sleep in a different room.

"Yes, it would mean the garden," agreed Kaisi. "Of course, Oddish is in there, if you want company." It was a strange fact, but despite being opposites in practically everything, Oddish and Feraligatr got along very well with each other.

"**Hmm…,"** he pretended to think over it before loftily answering, **"Alright. I'll come in after dinner." **He went back under the water and Kaisi grinned, because she had known that he would choose to sleep inside. _Probably to keep Oddish company and to keep an eye on Alan as well._

"All right, I'll see you after dinner," she said as she walked back to the house.

"Would you like to stay inside or outside, Vaporeon?" asked Alan.

"**Outside would suit me just fine, Alan.**"

"Alright. Goodnight, Vaporeon."

"**Goodnight and do not forget to send your father a report**," said Vaporeon.

While they headed back to the kitchen, she asked Alan about his Vaporeon. He explained that his father had given him an Eevee on his thirteenth birthday and that he had decided to evolve it into a Vaporeon about a year ago. As they neared the front hallway and the kitchen, Kaisi said, "Dinner is probably ready, so you guys can start without me. I'm gonna take a shower." With that, she went to get her backpack from the front hallway while Alan went into the kitchen to tell her aunt that Kaisi had told them start without her.

The Olivine gym leader looked surprised to hear that. "She wants to take a bath before eating?" she asked wonderingly. "It's usually the other way around. Oh, well. The food's finished, so it's her fault if there isn't enough left when she gets back," she said while taking a seat. He followed her example and sat down to eat.

"So, Alan was it?" When he nodded, (his mouth was full), she said, "Well, Alan, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

He swallowed his food before saying, "I'm from Viridian City." Seeing that this was not enough, he went on, "I finished my badge quest in Kanto, so I'm just traveling around Johto to level-up my party." He started eating again in an attempt to thwart more questions, but it didn't work. The gym leader's next question was:

"You don't plan on competing in the Johto league?" which put Alan between a rock and a hard place. If he said no, then Kaisi's aunt might be offended. If he said yes, then she would expect him to challenge her. _Great. Just great._

"Well, my father doesn't want me to be gone for too long, so he only approved of my traveling through Johto. He figured that challenging the gyms would take too long," was his reply. _That should work._ It worked, but not before a final question.

"You _will_ take good care of my niece, won't you Alan?" It wasn't a question. After he replied "Yes", Aunt Rose nodded her approval and was telling him try some of the soup when Kaisi's Oddish asked for some food. It finished its food with a small burp and an "Excuse me" before trotting out of the kitchen.

After a couple minutes of talking about the differences between Kanto and Johto, Kaisi came back into the kitchen in what she called her "household clothes". Her "household clothes" were basically a comfortable gray shirt and slightly baggy pants that seemed to have about fifty pockets. "Excellent! There's still some left for me," was the first thing she said as she sat down. "What did you guys talk about while I was gone?"

"Just the differences between Kanto and Johto," was what her aunt said. She didn't mention her grilling Alan. After making sure that her niece had eaten a healthy portion of spaghetti, Aunt Rose proceeded to question Kaisi about how she was doing. (Was she doing okay? How were her parents and her brother? _Really?_ Just two more gyms to go?)

While this was going on, Alan finished his dinner and wondered what would happen if Kaisi's aunt found out the truth about him. One thought came to him. _I'd be in deep-_he wasn't able to finish the thought because of Auntie Rose's saying, "Oh, look at the time! If you want to catch the eight o'clock ferry to Cianwood, then you'll have to go to bed right now." She turned to him, "Alan, the guest bathroom is next to guest bedroom. Kaisi, show him where it is, will you?"

She nodded and said, "Oh, before I forget. Auntie, is it okay if Feraligatr sleeps in the garden tonight?" asked Kaisi. Her aunt answered with a "Yes" as she washed the dishes. "Thanks Auntie. Goodnight," she said as she left the kitchen. Kaisi opened the living room door to the pool and yelled out into the rain, "You can sleep in the garden, Feraligatr!" What sounded like "Aw_right_" was heard before he climbed out of the pool and walked over to the doorway. He dried himself off with the extra-extra large towels she had handed him and followed her down the hallway. Wanting to know where the indoor was, Alan followed them. He turned the corner and was amazed. To his left there were some regular doors, but there were double glass doors on the right-hand side. Through the glass doors, he could see knee high grass and numerous potted trees. What really amazed him was the size of the indoor garden. It was about two-thirds the of a battlefield.

A voice behind him said, "Isn't it a sight? And the roof can be partially moved, so that you can see the stars. Of course, it's raining today, so I closed the roof." Alan turned around to find Aunt Rose standing behind him. She grinned and said, "If you want to go in there, you can."

He entered the garden and was immediately surprised by what he hadn't expected. He hadn't been expecting the smells of the different flowers on the trees and in the grass. Over in a corner of the garden he saw Kaisi saying goodnight to her Oddish and Feraligatr. They in turn said their goodnights and Oddish buried itself up to the base of the leaves on its head, while Feraligatr gave itself a final stretch before lying down.

As they headed back, Aunt Rose pointed out the guest bedroom and bathroom before heading back to the kitchen to finish the dishes. "So, how do you like it here in Johto so far?" asked Kaisi.

"It's not too bad," Alan answered. "I'm looking forward to seeing more of it."

She grinned and said, "That's good. Well, goodnight," as she walked back to her room.

"Yeah, goodnight. See you tomorrow," he said as he went into his room. He was surprised to see his pack in the room already, but shrugged it off. Most likely the aunt had brought it in while walking towards the garden. He reached into his pack and found his pokégear. He typed up a message that said, "I have successfully become Kaisi Nobutoshi's traveling partner, Father. We will be heading off for Cianwood tomorrow morning. She will probably finish her badge quest with plenty of time to spare before the tournament begins. I found out today that her aunt is the Olivine City gym leader." Alan added a few questions about how his brother and sisters were doing, before sending it off to Giovanni.


End file.
